LA04 Thanksgiving
by ccmal
Summary: A pregnant Laura is afraid Almanzo is no longer attracted to her. Fourth stand alone Laura & Almanzo story


**Thanksgiving**

LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters.

Almanzo stepped inside the house after his chores were done. He found Laura asleep in her rocking chair next to the fireplace. He smiled at his young, pregnant wife. It was still so hard to believe they were going to be parents. He leaned over and rubbed her round belly. She woke up to see his crooked smile and twinkling blue eyes staring at her.

"Hmmm….I must have dozed off."

He nodded. "We coulda stayed home instead of goin to see your folks today."

"I know, but once the baby comes I want to have Thanksgiving here, so I liked going to Ma and Pa's."

"Ya sure the trip wasn't too much on ya."

"Manly, we make that trip all the time."

"But you're getting farther along and ya shouldn't be doin as much as ya used to."

"If you had seen my ma while she was pregnant, you wouldn't be so worried. She worked out in the fields just as hard as everyone else."

"Beth, ya ain't everyone else, and that baby don't belong to anyone else either; it's our baby."

She smiled at him. "I promise I won't over do it."

"Good." He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "Ya ready for bed."

She nodded. "I'm just going to get a glass of milk first."

Almanzo trucked his body up the stairs to their room. He dropped his clothes alongside the bed and waited for Laura to come in. When she entered, she spied his bare-chested body and smirked.

"Weren't you the one just telling me not to over do it?" she teased.

A look of concern covered his face. "If you would rather not…"

"Don't be silly; just let me brush out my hair."

Almanzo watched Laura remove the pins from her hair and unroll her bun. He couldn't resist the urge to touch it. Laura saw his tall, lean body reflecting in the mirror. He ran his fingers through her long, reddish-brown mane. He could hear the quick pace of her breathing. He took the brush from her hand and carried her to the bed.

He nimbly unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it onto the floor. Next he slid off her skirt and stared at her partially naked body. Almanzo placed tender kisses on her bare shoulders. She could see the passion rising inside him and she pulled away the rest of her clothes. He stared at her naked body laying on the bed. He kissed her belly and the baby kicked in response. They chuckled. He caressed her stomach and became thrilled once again at the thought of being a father.

They spent time together as man and wife, and when it ended, Laura snuggled into the crook of his arm and fell asleep. When Almanzo woke the next morning, Laura was already putting her hair up.

"Good mornin," he said, leaning over to kiss her.

"Good morning," she said with a smile.

Almanzo tucked his shirt into his pants and then fastened his belt. Laura watched as he stomped on his boots.

"Manly, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you…" she was embarrassed even to say it. She glanced down at her brush wondering if she should even approach the subject.

Almanzo placed his gentle hands on her shoulders and looked at her through the mirror. "What is it Beth?"

"Well I was wondering if you…"

"If I what?" he prompted.

"Do you still find me attractive now that I'm pregnant?"

It never occurred to Almanzo that Laura would be concerned about the changes in her appearance. He figured their love making showed her how much he wanted her. He turned Laura around to face him and then knelt on the floor so he could look into her eyes.

"Beth, your always gonna be beautiful to me. I love ya."

She embraced him tightly as tears of relief came to her eyes. He felt her body relax in his arms. He waited until she was ready to let go and then he took her hands in his.

"Ya know, it is different bein with ya now. I can't really explain it, but knowin our baby is growin inside ya, it makes me want ya even more somehow. I never thought I could love ya more than I did, but ever since ya told me you were pregnant, I don't wanna be away from ya. I think about ya all the time. Mr. Miller has caught me day dreamin more than once."

"Oh Manly," she said pulling him close to her again. "You don't know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say that. I know I'm only gaining weight because I'm pregnant, but I wondered if you would think I was ugly. And I know it's been harder for us to be together since I'm bigger than I used to be, and I…"

His lips covered hers in a passionate kiss. "Beth, you could never be more beautiful to me than you are right now. I can't wait to see our baby. I can't even believe I'm gonna be a father."

The excitement was clear in his voice and it brought comfort to his young wife, who had so much anxiety over what her husband would think of her changing body.

"Now, I havta go hitch up the team. I don't think Mr. Miller will be happy if I'm late for work." He planted a kiss on her cheek and winked before jaunting downstairs.

Laura finished dressing so she could get Almanzo a quick breakfast before he left for the day. Since there was no school she would work around the house, maybe catch up on her sewing, and grade papers. As she walked into the kitchen she rubbed her belly and smiled. She couldn't wait to see her baby, their baby. She couldn't have imagined her life with Almanzo would be this wonderful when she met him that day outside of Nellie's Restaurant. She felt especially thankful for the blessings God had bestowed upon Almanzo and her, and hoped she would always remember how much joy they shared at the thought of bringing a new life into the world.


End file.
